Mens Basketball

[jbags]

I am not going to bash our coach, I will keep those thoughts to myself but I never could understand this....he never seems to get his freshmen enough playing time early in the season against the cupcakes we schedule. We win those games anyway and who really cares by how much. Those games are for experimenting on rotations and figuring out if our freshman can play with the lights on or not. Our freshmen sit until the last 3 minutes when its just garbage time. We can never count on them come conference play, hence when Cam had some games where he totally disappeared we couldn't play Steward because he wasnt ready. Weber went through the same thing as a freshman until he realized that he can play with the lights on. I understand that some kids leave because they are homesick but more leave us because they never get any run as freshmen. I'm just saying.

[IAA Fan]

JJ:

I do not know why you carry out some sort of personal vendetta on our local media ...especially the Vindy. Do you not realize how much info they give this board. Or how many times they reference the board (although not by name, they make it obvious).

I live in Columbus and the money here, in the media, is quite obvious. However, the quality here is not very good ...certainly no better than Youngstown. Now OSU is 'money' for anyone that wants to cover them. Heck a man that I work with sold his Buckeyes internet board ..I will not mention the name, but I guarantee you that anyone here that is a Buckeye fan has been on it. Now no one out there is beating down the doors to purchase this site (which I would not sell anyways) ...nor are local papers/radio/TV cancelling network feed revenue to cover YSU sports. We have to accept what we are.

We complained for years about not getting 57KBN ...well now we have it ...only because the Buckeyes went to ESPN.  Many of us long-time fans know YSU football over the long-haul. Yet, you attack BIGD, who is a very regular poster here ...with good knowledge and input. His YSU football comment is right. This is not the "old days" where we had the prime time on CBS ...hoisting a "Sears Trophy". Those days are gone. WSU was a customer of mine for several years. I would spend weeks at a time there. You know, until Strollo made our campus what it is today, we could not "hold a candle" to WSU.  Our level of football is now lucky to see ESPN2, and YSU has not been a part of that in 6 or 7 years; so the best thing you can do is talk more positively about your team.

Start by not attacking other posters in your comments. The win over Pitt and good half against Michigan State brought more attention than any national title past or future. Until Tressel arrived in Columbus, most people down here in Columbus thought that Youngstown is still loaded with running boards and Tommy guns. People from other areas ...like BigD ...are not getting a very favorable impression of Youngstown reading your posts. Why not invite him to the Hall-of-fame the next time he is in town?

So it does not matter what others say or think on this board ...as long as it is about YSU. You can attack YSU all you want. You can love YSU all you want. However, you cannot attack other people or institutions (like media). All of the media has their own email these days, as does the University; so attack them there. I have tried to tell you privately and I am sorry to have to admonish you publicly ...but this board has always welcomed everyone that wants to be here ...friend or foe. Go after the message ...not the messenger.

[Lets_Talk]

Jbags, I agree with you 100%. To me, the OOC games are about preparing the team for the HL. Yes, you'd like to win as many games as possible, but playing quality opponents and getting Frosh and those further down the roster PT "when the lights are on" is very important.

I'm not sure why more coaches do not do things like starting Freshman in the games played against D3 teams. Winning these games by 30+ points accomplishes very little. Why not start the second five, and see how they handle starting? If the team is struggling through the first 5 minutes or so, will not take the starters long to go ahead by 10-20 points. And, if it does, that is a sign of much bigger problems down the road. Once the starters establish a lead of about 15-20 points, then play the young guys again.

I would even like to see Freshman being put in the games on the road, against teams like St. John's, UMASS, PITT etc, early in the game. Not as starters, but put them in once the game get's going, and it is time for a starter to take a break. Slocum has coached long enough that he ought to know how to do this, and still enable the team to have a chance to be competitive, and/or win. If a kid plays good, keep him in the game. If he struggles, take him out after 2-3 minutes, and then use this as a teaching moment. Even give him a chance to play again in the 2nd half. In the long run, this is going to help the team be better prepared for the HL, and kids will like it because it means more playing time.

YSU seems to run out of gas about mid-way through the HL season. Easy to understand why. Starters play an excessive amount of minutes, and that takes a toll on the players given YSU's up tempo style. Of the 2 freshman who transferred out, both were good enough to play more than they did if they had been given the opportunity.

[IAA Fan]

I agree to a point. Getting young guys in against DI competition is what is most important. They need to learn the speed of the game ...which will not happen in what amounts to scoring sessions against these lower teams.

I favor padding stats. You need to work the reserves in ...which usually means more minutes when you are down and less minutes when you are up ..or tight.

[jbags]

Im not in favor of playing freshmen appreciable minutes against big time programs, ie Pitt, St. Johns etc because their confidence might be shattered. But vs some of the cupcakes we schedule? To allow them to do well just because they are better athletically? To build confidence? Slocum never does it. Our freshmen are ill-equipped to help us. Poor Ronnie Beamon red-shirted and then never played. Even against cupcakes. Really? No wonder he left. This needs to be corrected and I assume it will because we are going to have to play freshmen because everyone else is leaving!

[Dmorton]

If you're not going to play them, don't recruit them!  They have to play at some point, the sooner the better to get the experience needed to play in this league.  And, like the lost poster indicated, we've got to play them now because the cupboard is bare to compete in the Horizon.

[Lets_Talk]

I see Akron just landed a stud recruit from here in Vegas. Bishop Gorman plays an elite type of schedule, and they dominate the NIAA. Only program better than Bishop Gorman in Nevada is Findlay Prep, which is not a part of the NIAA.

Says in the article Robotham chose Akron over Milwaukee and UT-Martin. With all of the camps and showcases that take place in Las Vegas during the summer, I'd hate to think YSU does not do anything in the way of recruiting here. Not saying YSU does not recruit this part of the country, just not sure if they do and am asking if anyone knows if YSU sends a coach here in the summer?

My reason for finding this relevant to the thread is because this is a kid from Las Vegas who signed with Akron and was considering UWM, a school in the HL. So, at least to me, that makes this relevant in a discussion about YSU basketball during the off-season.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/may/09/gormans-robotham-picks-akron/

[letsgoguins]

Jorden Kaufman, a 7 foot center, is transferring to YSU from Oral Roberts:

@JordenKaufman: Officially going to Youngstown State University next year! 🐧🐧@YSUMensHoops

http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205534076

[ysufan0505]

Jorden Kaufman, a 7 foot center, is transferring to YSU from Oral Roberts:

@JordenKaufman: Officially going to Youngstown State University next year! 🐧🐧@YSUMensHoops

http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205534076

Finally some size! Him and bobby in the post, yes please.

[Dmorton]

I doubt if coach will play them on the floor at the same time much.  I think he has to sit out a year after transferring from another D1 school.